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Suddenly, I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail dragged down one-third of the stars, which he threw to the earth. He stood before the woman as she was about to give birth to her child, ready to devour the baby as soon as it was born. – Revelation 12:3-4

 

The dragon spoken of in Revelation 12 is ever on the prowl. Though there may be disagreement over the identities of the woman and the child, Satan’s identity as the dragon is clear. Cast from the heavenly realms with his angels, He will inhabit only the earth and the sea, and in fury he will seek all God-fearing people for “he knows that he has little time” (Revelation 12:12).

The psalmist saw this dragon also. He pleaded, “O Lord, rescue me from evil people. Preserve me from those who are violent, those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long. Their tongues sting like a snake; the poison of a viper drips from their lips” (Psalm 140:1-3).

Revelation 12:10-11 reveals that we have three weapons in our arsenal with which to fight the dragon. First, “the Accuser has been thrown down to earth” (v. 10). We are no longer under guilt and condemnation, and we do not have to listen to the devil’s accusations against us.

Second, they “defeated him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of their testimony” (v. 11). In the precious blood of Jesus and with the testimony of His saving grace, we have a mighty weapon to wield against the dragon.

Finally, “they were not afraid to die” (v. 11). You cannot truly kill someone who has already been crucified with Christ.

“Rejoice, O heavens! ” (Revelation 12:12). Our enemy is destined for defeat!

2020-12-31T10:53:34-07:00

Then he said to me, “This is what the Lord says to Zerubbabel: It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the Lord Almighty.” – Zechariah 4:6

How easy it is to despise our efforts in the Lord! Of course, Satan is always there to point out that what we are doing is insignificant. We react by trying harder to bring our plans to perfection. Ultimately, however, our energy will lag, and we will have to admit that we can do nothing in our own strength. It takes the Spirit of the Lord to accomplish anything of value.

Why should we labor alone in our own strength when God’s Spirit will work alongside us? We must learn to rely on the supernatural. “Nothing, not even a mighty mountain, will stand in Zerubbabel’s way; it will flatten out before him! Then Zerubbabel will set the final stone of the Temple in place, and the people will shout: ‘May God bless it! May God bless it!’ ” (Zechariah 4:7).

Who would have thought that a mountain could come down just by shouting at it? The walls of Jericho, like Zerubbabel’s mountain, did not come down by man’s reasoning, but by God’s power. Satan may belittle our praises, but he knows that praise is our mightiest weapon in the arsenal of faith. Keep shouting at your mountain—the Holy Spirit will bring it down!

2020-12-23T00:00:00-07:00
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